CLEVELAND GUARDIANS NOTES:
GUARDS OPEN UP ROAD TRIP WITH VICTORY
The Guardians nailed down a second straight win, downing the Boston Red Sox by a 5-2 margin on Friday night at Fenway Park…marked club’s first win in a series opener since April 14 at Washington (4-5 in series lid-lifters overall)…Cleveland has now won 4 of last 6 here at Fenway Park.
SHANE BIEBER continued his stretch of early-season consistency, recording a 7.0-inning quality start for his second win (7.0IP, 5H, 2R-ER, 2BB, 4SO, 99 pitches)…permitted single tallies in both the 2nd and 5th, the only frames in which he allowed multiple hits; 3 of the 5 hits he gave up were doubles…Bieber has now held opponents to 3-or-fewer runs in all 6 of his starts this season, though last night marked just the second time he has received 4+ runs of support.
Cleveland grabbed an early 2-0 lead in the 1st, as singles by STEVEN KWAN and JOSÉ RAMÍREZ set the table for a sac fly from JOSH NAYLOR and JOSH BELL’s RBI-double off the Green Monster…MYLES STRAW made it 3-0 with an RBI-single in the 2nd, scoring WILL BRENNAN who stole 2nd base after getting hit by an offering from BoSox starter Nick Pivetta (5.0IP, 5H, 4R-ER)… MIKE ZUNINO launched a solo homer (2) over the Monster to start the 4th, while Brennan added another one-out solo shot in the 9th, tucking his second career MLB homer just inside Pesky’s pole.
The Clevelanders improved to 9-5 on the road, but have still dropped 7 of their last 11 overall following a 9-6 start to the season…Guardians (13-13) still hold sole possession of 2nd place in AL Central standings, 2.5 games behind Minnesota (16-11).
7-8-9 ARE DOING JUST FINE
The Guardians got a big boost from its bottom three hitters in Friday night’s matchup as the trio of MIKE ZUNINO, WILL BRENNAN, and MYLES STRAW combined to go 3-for-11 with 2 home runs, 3 RBI, 3 runs and one stolen base…Cleveland has seen consistent production this season from their 7-8-9 hitters who rank highly in a number of categories through 16 games, hitting .244 (4th in the AL, 10th in MLB) with 4 home runs, 28 RBI and 34 runs…the club’s 19 doubles from its bottom 3 hitters leads MLB ahead of Boston, Tampa Bay, and Colorado (18)…they rank 1st in the AL and 2nd in MLB with 34 walks behind Los Angeles-NL (37) and are currently 2nd in MLB with a .344 OBP behind Baltimore (.351).
MYLES STRAW ranks T1st in MLB with 21 hits by a 7-8-9 hitter with former Clevelander Gio Urshela…among batters in the 9th spot, he ranks 1st in steals (5), 2nd in OBP (.349), 2nd in walks (8) and T4th in hits (13).
Zunino hit a home run out of the 7th spot in the lineup, marking his 16th home run against the Red Sox and 8th at Fenway Park… it’s his most against any opponent and 2nd-most at a visiting ballpark behind Globe Life Field (9HR).
WILL BRENNAN, who grew up a Red Sox fan, hit the second home run of his career and first on the road out of the 8th spot of the lineup.
KEEP IT SIMPLE
The Guardians are now 10-1 when scoring 4-or-more runs after last night’s 5-2 victory and are 3-12 when scoring 3-or-fewer runs in 2023…the club finished 87-13 (.857) when scoring 4+ runs in 2022, the 4th-best win percentage in MLB last season behind Houston (80-10, .889), Los Angeles-NL ((97-12, .890) and New York NL (87- 8, .916)…during the Terry Francona era (since 2013) Cleveland is 697-181 (.794) when scoring 4+, the best winning percentage in the American League and 2nd-best in MLB behind Los Angeles-NL during that span.
WIN PERCENTAGE WHEN SCORING 4+ RUNS, SINCE 2013
TEAM WIN% RECORD
Los Angeles-NL .830 752-154
Cleveland .794 697-181
New York-AL .783 720-199
St. Louis .783 694-192
Houston .776 687-198
RING THE BELL
JOSH BELL knocked in a run with his ninth double of the season in last night’s contest, ranking T4th in the AL and T7th in MLB (JOSÉ RAMÍREZ also has 9)…all 9 of his doubles have come in the past 15 games, marking the 6th time in his career that Bell has amassed 9 doubles over a 15-game span and the first since June 24 to July 9 of last season while he was with Washington…11 of his 17 hits have gone for extra bases…the Guards 51 doubles in March/April is T5th-most in franchise history to start a season and the most since 2006 when the club had 56 in March/April.
After going 3-for-38 to start the season, the switch-hitter is slashing .309/.377/.582 with 9 doubles, 2 home runs and 9 RBI since April 11, hitting safely in 12 of 15 games during that stretch… from March 30 to April 10, Bell was hitting .105 (2-for-19) against fastballs; since April 11, he is batting .375 (12-for-32) with 6 doubles in at-bats ending with a fastball…his 15 walks is T2nd on the team with Ramírez behind STEVEN KWAN (16).
OUR BRAND OF BASEBALL
The Guardians 33 stolen bases, rank 1st in the AL and 2nd in MLB behind Pittsburgh (37)…the last time the Guards stole 33-ormore bases through the team’s first 26 games of a season was 1984 when the club swiped 40 bags…Cleveland’s 11 multi-steal games in 2023 is one behind Pittsburgh for MLB lead…5 different players have 5+ stolen bases for the team this season (ANDRÉS GIMÉNEZ, STEVEN KWAN, JOSÉ RAMÍREZ, AMED ROSARIO and MYLES STRAW), no other team has more than 2 players with 5+ swipes.
JOSH NAYLOR opened up scoring for Cleveland last night with the club’s 11th sacrifice fly on the season ranking 2nd in the AL and T3rd in MLB with Arizona behind Pittsburgh (12) and Baltimore (12)…since the start of 2019, Cleveland’s 161 sac flies rank 2nd in the AL and 3rd in MLB behind Los Angeles-NL (165) and Houston (173)…JOSH BELL (21) is T9th in MLB during that stretch.
Cleveland is pacing MLB with 337 infield hits since the start of 2021, 10 ahead of Tampa Bay (327)…AMED ROSARIO (57) is 2nd and MYLES STRAW (48) is T3rd in MLB over that period…Straw is T3rd with 4 other players in MLB this season with 6 infield hits, trailing NYM’s Jeff McNeil and PIT’s Ji Hwan Bae (8).
TODAY’S STARTER – 34 ZACH PLESAC RHP
PLESAC ON THE ROAD
W-L ERA G GS IP H R ER BB SO
2023 1-0 12.00 2 2 6.0 14 10 8 1 2
Career 16-17 4.48 43 43 243.1 225 129 121 63 192
PLESAC’S MLB CAREER
W-L ERA G GS IP H R ER BB SO
2023 1-1 6.50 4 4 18.0 29 15 13 4 13
Career 26-27 4.14 83 82 463.1 442 234 213 122 358
TODAY’S START
The 27-year-old right-hander is scheduled to make his fifth start of the season, his third on the road, on Saturday afternoon in the second contest of a 3-game series with Boston…he will be making this start on extended 6 days rest; is 4-7 with a 4.06 ERA (49ER/108.2IP) on 21 career starts with 6+ days rest for his career…his best start of the season came at Progressive Field in a 7-6 victory over Seattle on April 9…he did not factor into the decision, despite allowing 2R/ER over 7.0 innings.
LAST TIME OUT
His last outing came on April 22 in the second game of a doubleheader against Miami, resulting in a 3-2 defeat…he was tagged with his first loss of the 2023 campaign despite allowing 3R/ ER over 5.0 innings (5.0IP, 10H, 3R/3ER, 2BB, 5SO, 90 pitches)… the 10 hits allowed tied a career-high for a start…Miami left one-or-more runners on base in each of the first three frames before striking in the 4th…after allowing a walk, a Garrett Hampson double tied the game 1-1…after leaving two players stranded in the 5th, the Marlins caused the most damage in the 6th…following a Jon Berti double and an infield single, Hampson recorded his second RBI base hit with a single to give Miami the lead…a Garrett Cooper sacrifice fly gave Miami the lead for good.
FOURTH AT FENWAY
This will be Plesac’s fifth career start against the Red Sox and his 4th appearance at Fenway Park, where he made his Major League Debut…he has a 1-1 record with a 4.43 ERA (10ER/20.1IP) in his 5 starts against Boston…he holds a 4.11 ERA (7ER/15.1IP) in his previous three starts at Fenway…his last start in Boston came on July 25, 2022, a 3-1 loss for Cleveland…he threw 5.0 innings with 4 strikeouts, but was tagged with the loss despite allowing 3 runs (earned) and 3 walks.
This will be his 14th career start against the AL East, owning a 3-7 record and a 6.36 ERA (49ER/69.1IP), his worst record and ERA against any MLB division…he posted a 1-2 record in 3 starts against the AL East last season, defeating Baltimore on June 5, then falling to Boston on July 25 and Tampa Bay on July 30…he was tagged with the loss in his last outing against the division in Tampa Bay (L, 5.0IP, 7H, 5R/ER, 2BB, 7SO)…the Guards are 5-8 as a club in Plesac’s 13 AL East starts.
JUST WARMING UP
Over his career, Plesac’s highest ERA by month has come in April, posting a 5.35 mark (39ER/65.2IP) across 13 starts in the season’s opening month…he improved on those numbers in 2022, going 1-2 with a 3.80 ERA in 4 April starts.
Through his first 4 starts of April in 2023, Plesac has gone 1-1 with a 6.50 ERA (13ER/18.0IP)…owns a 3.71 ERA (7ER/17.0IP) in his last 2 starts.
PLESAC BY MONTH, CAREER (since 2019)
MONTH RECORD GS ERA IP ER
April 3-6 13 5.35 65.2 39
May 3-2 11 3.97 65.2 29
June 4-4 11 3.09 67.0 23
July 5-4 15 4.04 78.0 35
August 6-6 17 4.30 96.1 46
September 5-4 14 4.19 86.0 40
KEEP IT ON THE GROUND
In his career, Plesac has yielded a 42.3% ground-ball rate on average…that ranks just slightly above the average of Cleveland’s pitching staff (42.0%) since the 2019 season…Plesac owned a 40.5% ground-ball rate in 2022 and a 45.0% rate in 2021…the righty has seen an uptick in ground-balls through his first 4 starts of the 2023 campaign, posting a 52.9% mark, nearly 8% higher than his career-high rate in 2021.
WHITE CASTLE SPECIAL
Since the beginning of 2021, batters are hitting .207 (74-for-357) in at-bats ending with Plesac’s slider…the pitch has accounted for 100 of his 213 strikeouts in that span…to start the 2023 campaign, batters are hitting .250 (12-for-48) with 9 of his 13 strikeouts this season coming by way of his slider
BOSTON RED SOX NOTES:
STATE OF THE SOX: The Red Sox have lost consecutive games for the first time since losing 4 in a row from 4/10-13. The Sox have scored 2 runs or fewer in each of their last 2 games, following a season-long stretch of 9 straight games with at least 4 runs scored. The previous streak of 9 consecutive games with at least 4 runs scored was the Sox’ longest since 8/9-18/19 (also 9 games).
RED SOX THROUGH 27 GAMES
Stat 2022 2023
W-L 10-17 13-14
Runs scored 92 148
Home runs 16 34
AVG .228 .251
OPS .626 .755
Walks 61 94
HOME COOKING: The Red Sox are 5-3 over their last 8 home games, winning each of their last 2 home series (3-1 vs. LAA, 2-1 vs. MIN, 0-1 vs. CLE). The Sox have scored 77 runs on 127 hits (49 XBH) in their 14 home games…Their 5.5 runs/game and 3.5 XBH/game at home rank 4th in MLB, while their 9.1 hits/game are tied for 5th. In home games, the Sox rank 5th in the AL in AVG (.263), OBP (.338), SLG (.532), and OPS (.770).
SOX & GUARDIANS: The Red Sox are 5-3 against the Guardians since the start of 2022, and 9-4 since the start of 2021. Alex Cora is 1 of 7 current MLB managers to have played for Terry Francona during his 8-year stint as manager of the Red Sox from 2004-11: Alex Cora (2005-08), Rocco Baldelli (2009), Kevin Cash (2010), Gabe Kapler (2003-06), Mark Kotsay (2008-09), Dave Roberts (2004), and David Ross (2008).
SLUGGING SOX: The Red Sox rank 3rd in MLB in runs scored (148) and XBH (91)…In their last 14 games (beginning 4/14), they have averaged 5.5 runs per game with a .777 OPS. The Sox last night snapped a streak of 8 consecutive games with a HR (13 HR total), their longest streak since May 2022 (8 straight from 5/16-24). The Red Sox have hit 3 grand slams, tied with the Dodgers for most in MLB.
RED SOX OFFENSIVE RANKINGS
Stat AL Rank
148 R 3rd
34 HR T-4th
91 XBH 2nd
20.6 SO% 2nd
Stat AL Rank
.251 AVG 6th
.328 OBP 6th
.427 SLG 3rd
.755 OPS 4th
TEAM EFFORT: Four different players have recorded a go-ahead RBI in the 8th inning or later for the Red Sox: Adam Duvall (4/1 vs. BAL), Yu Chang (4/15 vs. LAA), Alex Verdugo (4/18 vs. MIN), and Masataka Yoshida (4/23 at MIL). The Sox have 10 players with at least 8 RBI, tied for 2nd most in MLB behind TB (11). The Red Sox’ 8th and 9th spots in the lineup have produced 29 RBI, 4th most in MLB.
RED SOX INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES OF LATE
Player Span (Start Date) Stats
Justin Turner Last 17 G (4/11) .323 AVG, .892 OPS
Kiké Hernández Last 16 G (4/12) .339 AVG, 6 2B, 14 R
Jarren Duran Last 11 G (4/17) .436 AVG, 1.173 OPS, 10 RBI
Triston Casas Last 10 G (4/17) .381 OBP, 12 BB, 10 R
Masataka Yoshida Last 8 G (4/20) .438 AVG, 3 HR, 10 RBI
ON THE MEND: Chris Martin made a rehab appearance for Triple-A Worcester last night against Scranton/Wilkes Barre, pitching the 6th inning and allowing 2 hits and 2 unearned runs (14 pitches/10 strikes).
ANGELS IN THE OUTFIELD: The Red Sox’ outfielders lead MLB in AVG (.304), SLG (.519), hits (96), XBH (40), and RBI (63). The Sox’ outfielders rank 2nd in MLB in OBP (.372) and OPS (.891), and rank T-5th in HR (13).
RED SOX’ OUTFIELD RANKINGS
Stat 2022 (MLB Rank) 2023 (MLB Rank)
AVG .243 (16th) .304 (1st)
OBP .301 (24th) .372 (2nd)
SLG .375 (22nd) .519 (1st)
OPS .676 (24th) .891 (2nd)
H 453 (7th) 96 (1st)
XBH 163 (T-8th) 40 (1st)
HR 39 (26th) 13 (T-5th)
RBI 218 (13th) 63 (1st)
MACHO MAN: Masataka Yoshida’s 8-game hitting streak enters today as the 3rd-longest active streak in MLB, trailing DET’s Javier Báez (10 games) and TEX’s Robbie Grossman (9). During his streak, Yoshida is batting .438 with a 1.238 OPS and 10 RBI (14-for-32, 2 2B, 3 HR, 2 BB, SF). In his first 21 career games, Yoshida has hit from the 4th spot in the lineup 18 times, the 6th spot twice, and the 2nd spot once.
FOREVER AND DEVERS: Rafael Devers leads the AL in HR (9) and ranks 2nd in total bases (58) and T-2nd in XBH (16).
DEVERS’ AMERICAN LEAGUE RANKINGS
Stat AL
9 HR ………………………..1st
24 RBI…………………… T-3rd
43 hard-hit balls…….. T-4th
Stat AL
16 XBH……………………..T-2nd
58 total bases ………………2nd
.558 SLG …………………….. 5th
WHAT A RELIEF: The Red Sox rank 11th in MLB with a 3.53 bullpen ERA, after ranking 26th in 2022 (4.59). In their last 14 games, Sox relievers have posted a 3.06 ERA (18 ER/53.0 IP) with 47 SO and 14 BB.
RED SOX PITCHERS WITH A RELIEF ERA OF 2.00 OR LOWER
Pitcher Relief ERA IP ER
Kenley Jansen 0.00 7.2 0
Brennan Bernardino 0.00 3.0 0
Kutter Crawford 1.17 15.1 2
Josh Winckowski 1.47 18.1 3
CLOSING TIME: The Red Sox have a 2.49 ERA in the 8th and 9th innings (13 ER/47.0 IP)…The Sox have out-scored opponents in those innings, 32-15. Boston’s 1.33 ERA in the 8th inning (4 ER/27.0 IP) is tied with TB for the best in MLB. The Sox are 9-0 when leading after 6 innings. The Red Sox are the only team in MLB without a blown save this season after posting 28 blown saves in 2022, T-3rd most in the AL and T-7th in MLB.
MOST SAVES IN MLB HISTORY
Rk. Pitcher SV
- Mariano Rivera …..652
- Trevor Hoffman …..601
- Lee Smith …………..478
- Francisco Rodriguez..437
Rk. Pitcher SV - John Franco………..424
- Billy Wagner……….422
T7. Kenley Jansen .. 397
Craig Kimbrel ……..397
DON’T START WITH US: Starting pitchers have completed at least 6.0 innings against the Red Sox just 4 times this season, fewest of any team in MLB. The Red Sox faced a left-handed starting pitcher in of their 9 games from 4/8-16…Since then, they have faced right-handed starters in 1 of their last 12 games (including today).
CLOSE SHAVES: 19 of the Sox’ 27 games have been decided by 3 runs or fewer (9-10)…The only teams with more such games are CLE (21), and LAA (20). Their 10 losses by 3 runs or fewer are tied for 5th most in MLB.
TODAY’S STARTER: 66 BRAYAN BELLO – RHP
W-L ERA G GS IP ER HR BB SO WHIP AVG
2023 0-1 9.82 2 2 7.1 8 2 3 8 2.18 .406
CAREER 2-9 5.29 15 13 64.2 38 3 30 63 1.82 .326
Started on Sunday at MIL, allowing 3 runs over 4.2 IP (5 H, 2 BB, 3 SO, HR). Was optioned to Triple-A Worcester on Monday and recalled prior to last night’s game. Has issued 2 BB or fewer in each of his last 6 starts, dating back to 9/14/22. Has a 2.70 SO/BB ratio in his last 5 MLB outings (27.1 IP, 27 SO, 10 BB). Has given up only 3 HR in 64.2 IP in the majors (0.45 HR/9.0 IP). In his MLB career, opponents are 11-for-65 (.169) with 0 XBH and 24 SO against his changeup (2-for-8 with 3 SO in 2023)
